Firsts
by RandomIncog
Summary: Everyone goes through firsts in life. Its just better when you have someone experiencing it along side you. WhiteKnight Anthology
1. First Date

**AN: Hey everyone, new story time! Originally this was going to be a one-shot anthology going over various first moments in a relationship, but I figured the same could be done in a more chronological order. Feel free to pitch prompts in the review section! Also, I'm glad everyone was liking my other story 'One Cold Morning'. I'll be updating it again soon so be on the lookout for that! I hope you guys enjoy this new story. Feel free to review!**

Beta: PotatoBlaster

* * *

The soft keys of the piano did nothing but highlight the awkward silence held by the two at the dinner table. Weiss was lazily prodding her meal with a fork while Jaune was busy fumbling around with flashcards under the table.

It had only been forty minutes into the date.

 _Come on, come on!_ he thought. _There has to be something in here to help!_

After the breach, Weiss had come to him with an offer that he couldn't pass up on. Simply put, it was one date. If it went well, she would consider another. If it went poorly, he'd stop asking her out and they'd put all his past advances behind them, so they could try and create a stable friendship. Jaune had been confused at her sudden change of heart, however he thought it best not to look a gift horse in the mouth (whatever that meant).

What followed were countless hours of internet browsing on tips to have the best first date. So far, he was following them to a 't'. Fancy restaurant? Check. Being well dressed and well mannered? Check again. Try to be charming and smart if the situation called for it? Check-a-roo.

So, why was it that everything had gone bad right out of the gate?

A slight cough caught his attention. He cleared his throat.

"Yes, Snow Angel?" he asked, trying to make his voice sound smooth.

"What are you doing under the table?" she sighed.

"… uh… um," _great start_ , he thought. "I… was jussssst ummm…" _Just say anything you idiot!_ His mind roared.

Weiss continued to stare with a bored look on her face.

"I-I was… tying… my… shooooooeeeeesssss?"

"You were tying your shoes?" she asked. "From a sitting position, not bending over at all?"

Jaune could feel the sweat drops streaking down from his face.

"I have very long arms."

Weiss continued to hold her gaze, only to shake her head and lower it back to the food she was still prodding.

"Enough about me," he said, "how's your beef boarginon?"

" _Bourguignon_ ," Weiss corrected without looking up from her plate. "It's almost like you don't know what you're talking about," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," she said quickly. "It's adequate."

"Well," he started, "I'm glad it's okay, then." He flashed her a small but honest smile before lowering his head to his own food. Jaune missed the quick glance Weiss sent before she focused back on her food.

* * *

The walk to the airship had been just as silent as the restaurant. Weiss walked a few steps in front of Jaune. It seemed that that's how it will always be between them. Her, this unreachable goal that will always be three steps ahead of him.

 _I blew it_ , he thought. With Weiss in front, he allowed his body to slouch over slightly. He didn't care if anyone looked their way. He just wanted to get back to Beacon and forget all about tonight. Shifting his eyes upward, he met the back of Weiss' head.

Even _she_ looked down…

Had she wanted this to go well? No, no she couldn't have. This was _Weiss Schnee_. She didn't even _like_ him. She probably agreed to this knowing that it wouldn't go over well so he would stop asking her out. Jaune had already planned on it, but she couldn't have known that.

No, Weiss must've been upset that her night was wasted. She could have been studying for classes or relaxing with her team, but she was here with him, just so he wouldn't annoy her anymore.

Had he really screwed up their relationship that much?

The thought made his stomach churn.

He had to apologize. There were too many things to apologize for, though. Flirting excessively, asking her out too much, wasting her time…

Jaune's fists tightened and his teeth clenched. He felt his body start to vibrate in… fear? He didn't quite know.

With a sigh, he relaxed his tensed muscles. There was no point in getting worked up over this. He was the one in the wrong.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

The words caused Weiss to stop in her tracks.

 _What?_

"What?" she voiced, not turning around.

"I-I'm sorry," Jaune repeated.

Weiss internally sighed. He must have been apologizing for the bad date.

"I wasted your night… I'm sorry."

Her eyes slightly widened at the sound of Jaune's defeated voice. He wasn't apologizing for the date? Well, technically the date fell into the umbrella of what he said, but still. He could have outright apologized for the date and asked for a do-over, but it almost seemed the thought hadn't even occurred to him.

Weiss finally turned her head. She raised it enough so it was still slanted towards the ground, but also so she could see Jaune's face. Even though she couldn't see his irises, it was obvious his eyelids were drooped.

"I shouldn't have put you in this situation in the first place," he said. "I could have just said 'no' to your offer, but I didn't. I was selfish. You could have been doing something that you actually wanted to do tonight. But instead you're here… with me. I'm sorry."

So that's what he meant…

That idiot…

* * *

The sound of a light tapping getting closer and closer was enough to bring his head upward. Weiss stayed only a foot from Jaune. Her hands lay at her sides as her face stayed glued to his.

Her eyes were soft.

"You think that I didn't want to do this, don't you?"

Jaune's brows slightly furrowed.

"Well, I mean, yes?"

Didn't she? This is Weiss he was talking about. And to be fair, this was him she was talking to. Since when did they ever get along? A night like this didn't seem possible, which was because it wasn't. Why was she looking at him all sad-like?

Oh, wait a second. Her new face looked familiar.

"You dimwit!"

Her hand met his shoulder in a swift slap.

"Ah! Hey!" he gasped.

"Why would I go through with something if I wasn't absolutely sure that I'd be okay with doing it?"

She had him there. This was Weiss after all.

"So, wait," he said. "You… actually wanted to hang out with me tonight?"

"That was the plan, yes."

 _Ugh, idiot!_ Wait… should he feel like an idiot? Since when would Weiss even consider-?

"Again, though," she said interrupting his thoughts. "That was the plan. You never gave me that luxury tonight, Jaune."

 _What?…_

It was official, this was the most confusing night of his life.

"What are you talking about?" he tried, "we've been together since we left Beacon."

Weiss shook her head. "Not physically, dolt. I mean that you haven't been acting yourself for the whole night."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean that you've been acting no different than suitors back in Atlas," she said. "You take me to an upper-class restaurant, yet it's only for show, you pretend to be sophisticated to impress me, and you tried sweet talking me like how you did back in the beginning of the year."

Weiss paused, allowing Jaune to digest her words before continuing.

"I heard your talk with Neptune during the dance."

 _She did?_

"It made me think that maybe you weren't the way I perceived you. That you were all that Ruby told me about. Someone who was kind, honest, and friendly. Tonight, you were none of these things. Sure, you were kind and friendly, but they fell under the guise of you not being honest. You'd rather impress me than be yourself."

 _She's… she's right_ , Jaune thought. _It's just like what Pyrrha had talked to me about…_

His face formed a determined look.

"Would it be okay if we go somewhere to talk?" he asked. "Away from the crowd I mean?"

They were still in a decently crowded area. Throughout their talk, Jaune had noticed that several pairs of eyes had fallen on the two. He didn't want this talk to be a spectacle. Weiss seemed to catch on and nodded her head. The two headed for a small park close by.

* * *

The yellow of the streetlamps highlighted the concrete pathway that the two traversed. By now, the park was nearly vacant. The trees and bushes slowly swayed in the calm night wind. Finding a bench overlooking the ocean leading back to Beacon, the two sat once again in silence.

Jaune was having trouble finding his words. He knew what he wanted to say, but he didn't know how to work them out of his mouth.

 _Relax Jaune_ , he thought. _You were going to tell her this a few nights ago. You just need to get back into that mindset_.

A look over to Weiss confirmed that she was waiting for him to say something.

Jaune took a deep breath.

 _Here goes nothing_.

"You're amazing, Weiss" he said. Jaune could feel his cheeks slowly becoming warmer. It didn't help that she had started blushing, too.

"Everything about you is," he continued. "You're graceful, so extremely talented, smart- heck you're probably the smartest person I know."

Jaune didn't break eye contact. He couldn't risk Weiss thinking he wasn't being genuine. His fear of her turning away or potentially hitting him for being so forward, slowly trickled away. The strangest thing, he realized, was how easy it was for his words to form as he got lost in her light blue eyes.

"I know you might not see it, but you're kind. Much kinder than most students that go here. When you find yourself in the wrong, you don't fight it, you accept it and try to better yourself in the future. You never gave up on Ruby as a leader or Blake as team member. You accepted them and their shortcomings as well as your own, so the team wouldn't fall apart."

Jaune could feel the need for air, but he couldn't stop yet.

"I know that I've given you no proof, but I couldn't care less about your family name. I see you for Weiss. Not Weiss Schnee, or whatever other words that could be in your name… just Weiss."

Jaune's need for air got the better of him. His speech slowed, and tone lowered. He still didn't move from her eyes, but from his peripherals, it was obvious that Weiss was in fact, as red as he was.

"The closed off, beautiful girl from across the hall, who tries to build up a wall to not let anyone in," he continued, smiling. "The thing is, it's the only thing she's bad at."

Very quickly, Jaune glanced down to Weiss' lips to see if there was any hint of an upwards curl.

There was more than a hint.

"That being said, she still tries to. I understand why, but… she shouldn't need to. That's why… I want her- _you_ , to just, give me a chance and take me seriously. That way I could help break down your walls and show you that everyone will accept you for who you are. That, when you're with us, you don't have to pretend."

The soft ocean breeze became the only audible sound that flowed past their ears. Jaune had gotten his thoughts completely out in the open. Things that have been on his mind for so long…

Much like everyone says, it really did feel like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

If the look on Weiss' face was anything to go by, he might just get out of this without a freezing. The smile that she held, though not big, was telling. It was soft, sincere, all things that Jaune knew were behind her wall.

 _It's kind of funny_ , he thought. _I feel so warm right now. Maybe it's just from the blushing but… it feels nice. Even my hand feels kind of-_

He was holding her hand.

"Ah! Sorry!" he shrieked, moving his hand away and sliding to the far end of the bench. Once Weiss saw what happened, she too quickly withdrew her hand to her lap and turned to the ocean.

"It's fine just… don't get carried away like that again," she said, trying her best to sound serious.

"Right," Jaune nodded.

"What you said though," said Weiss after a brief pause, "thank you. You… really mean all of what you said?"

"Of course, I do," Jaune answered instantly. "I wouldn't lie about something like that."

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I'm just not used to such compliments."

Jaune gave her a small smile.

"I didn't mean to act shallow tonight," he said. "I just wanted this date to go perfectly." Jaune let out a chuckle before reaching into the pocket of his dress pants. Taking out several flashcards, he motioned for Weiss to take them.

Weiss grabbed the cards and started to flip through them. An amused smirk graced her face as her left eyebrow quirked. "Be a gentleman, ask questions about her life, don't be afraid to flirt," she counted off through the cards. "Why are you showing me these?"

"I'm trying to be honest," he shrugged.

"These are so generic. It's almost like you got them from some half-witted website."

"Uh… haha?"

Weiss blinked. Then again. Then once more.

"Of course you would, lunkhead."

There was no bite behind her words. Just amusement.

Jaune chuckled. The lights coming from Beacon took his attention away from the heiress.

"We should be getting back soon, huh?"

He didn't want to go back yet. They've only talked for a little over five minutes and it had been better than the entirety of the hour they spent together in the restaurant. He wouldn't push it though. The deal was one date. It was his fault it went south, and an Arc never goes back on their word.

"We never had dessert," she said, following his gaze towards Beacon. "It would be a mistake to not get something. After all, the mess hall should be closed by now."

Looking back at Weiss, Jaune noted she was sporting a sly grin.

She was offering more time, he was sure of it.

He wouldn't let this go to waste.

"We passed an ice cream stand on our way here. It should still be open?" Jaune offered.

"I guess that settles it," said Weiss, leaping up from the bench. "The last airship should leave in about thirty minutes or so. It should provide us time for some ice cream." She offered down her hand to pull Jaune up. He quickly accepted.

* * *

"Welcome to Candida's Cones! What can I get for the young couple?" asked the ice cream vendor.

 _The nerve of the-_

Weiss coughed in her hand. "We aren't a couple."

"Is that so? Hmm… it would explain why you two are blushing then right?"

 _HOW DARE HE-_

"Excuse me, Mister, uh…" Jaune started.

"Candida," said the vendor. "Candida Brant."

"Nice to meet you!" said Jaune. "Listen, we're both on a time crunch before the last airship leaves and we can see that you'll be closing in the next few minutes. How about we cut the chit-chat and let the ice cream do the talking?"

Much to Weiss' surprise, the ice cream vendor gave a hearty laugh. "A man after my own heart. I'd choose this frozen delicacy over people any day!"

 _Not sure if that could be considered a good thing_ , she thought.

"So," Candida said, "what will you two be having?"

Jaune turned to Weiss to let her go first. She shook her head and motioned for him to order.

"Okay, I'll have a chocolate and strawberry mix with whipped cream and a cherry on top," he said.

The vendor had already begun whipping up Jaune's order.

"Cone or bowl?"

"Bowl's fine."

Less than a minute later, Jaune's complete dessert was waiting on the counter. Jaune got ready to out the lien necessary to pay for both his and Weiss' food.

"And you, Miss?"

Weiss had to admit, Jaune's ice cream looked good for a strawberry and chocolate mix, however she had a simple order in mind that she's yet to have since Atlas.

"I'll have vanilla, with no other toppings except for some jimmies."

Candida froze on the spot. A spoonful of vanilla was still held in the scooper. Jaune and Weiss traded confused glances.

 _BANG_

The vendor's fist hit the counter causing the two teens to jump.

" _What did you just call them?_ " came Candida's voice, contending with Weiss' when Ruby was caught playing with her tiara.

"What do you mean?" she asked, not being faltered by Candida's tone.

" _The sprinkles…_ _ **What**_ _…_ _ **did**_ _…_ _ **you**_ _…_ _ **call**_ _…_ _ **them**_ _?_ "

"… jimmies?"

With a grunt, Candida slammed the scoop into a bowl, passed it over to the teens, and grabbed the Lien out of Jaune's hands.

"Hey, you can't just-"

"I want you two to take your ice cream, and never come back," said Candida, interrupting Weiss.

"Do you have any idea who you're talking to!?" she seethed. Before she could continue, Jaune moved his hand up, motioning to let him try and talk some sense into the vender.

"Mister Candida, I'm confused. What did-?" tried Jaune before Candida's head slowly turned to the boy.

"Go. Now."

"Mister Candida, this is crazy!"

"So now you insult my mental state?"

This was hopeless. This man's business practices are about as effective as Professor Oobleck on a day without coffee. Really, how would patronizing his customers ever bring back any customers?

In the middle of the back and forth between Jaune and Candida, Weiss turned, and started to walk back to the park, ice cream in hand.

"Weiss wait, where are you-?"

"It's obvious that this man doesn't know how to run a business," she interrupted. Weiss stopped and looked over to Jaune. "It's okay Jaune, let's just go eat before the ship leaves."

"You best listen to your girl, Jaune." The vendor slid Jaune the frozen dessert before turning to go into the backroom. "I don't serve people who are so _blatantly disrespectful to my life's work_!" Candida said, speaking slightly louder so Weiss heard.

With a slam of a door, Candida disappeared into the backroom of the ice cream shop.

* * *

 _Well that certainly could have gone better_ , thought Weiss. _Perhaps the mess hall isn't closed. If that's the case, then maybe Jaune and I-_

A blur of yellow with quick gust of wind by her side snapped Weiss out of her musings. Before she could comprehend what was happening, a terrifying yell came out from the ice cream stand.

"I'LL GET YOU, YOU ROTTEN, THIEVING, KIDS!"

Jaune's hand latched onto her arm, giving a slight yank as he propelled them down the street.

"JAUNE, WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON?!" Weiss yelled over the unnatural speed that he was pulling them at.

"I'LLEXPLAINLATERIFHECSATCHESUSWE'REDEADWENEEDTOGETAWAYFROMHIM!" he yelled back.

Well this was a turn of events. Out of all the things that could potentially go wrong on a date with Jaune Arc, Weiss never would have imagined that being chased by a psycho ice cream enthusiast would be on the list.

Everything fell past them in a blur of colors. Then, the left of her became overwhelmingly green.

 _I'd assume that to have been the park_ , she thought. _Strange, if not the park, then the only thing that would be lying ahead would be-_

Everything came to a grinding halt. The blur that she was held in with Jaune gradually faded, revealing a familiar sign.

 _The airship?_

"IIIIIII thhhhhink weeeeee loooost himmm" said a very disorientated Jaune. He was crouched by a railing trying to regain his senses.

A light 'bop' to his head took him out of his trance.

"Pray tell, why did any of that just happen?" asked Weiss. Her hands had moved accusingly to her hips as she hunched over him.

Jaune lethargically moved his clenched fist upward, almost like he was presenting fingers gradually dropped, allowing his palm to be open for the world to see. She couldn't believe it.

 _Jimmies!_

"I don't think we'll be allowed back anytime soon," he chuckled.

* * *

The night sky brought a certain tranquility to the exiting passengers of the airship. The evening dark clouds brushed over the sky, directing where moonlight hit. Much like how Beacon was seen from the shores of Vale, the city lights reflected perfectly over the ocean separating the two locations. In some spots on the water, it looked like both Beacon and Vale were connected through their lights. Never letting go and always connected. It was… beautiful.

It was also something that Weiss hadn't had the chance to see in the past few weeks. Preparations for the dance, Mountain Glenn, and the breach - this had all happened in such a close time frame that just thinking about it made her head whirl.

But, tonight was different.

She didn't feel the need to sit and take everything in.

Instead, she was living in the now, which had its perks.

One perk being the sugary delicacy she was finishing on the walk through Beacon's courtyard. The other perk, well-

"So why do you call them jimmies?" asked Jaune, who was currently plucking his cherry from the stem.

\- she had admittedly delightful company.

"It's a northern thing," Weiss shrugged. Her spoon dug into the remains of her vanilla scoop, bringing with it, a hefty number of sprinkles. Such a tantalizing taste. She hummed in delight as the dessert met her tongue.

"Why only vanilla?" Jaune asked.

Weiss tilted her head in confusion. "Does it really matter?"

"I mean, not really, no," Jaune concluded. "Its just, I don't know. I figured with how Ruby is, she'd have you try and get hooked onto different flavors of sweets and wouldn't rest at something as simple as vanilla."

That was true. Ruby would constantly try to force new sweets down her throat. Key word being 'try'.

"What did I say about not going along with something unless I'm completely okay with it?"

Jaune looked thoughtfully into what remained of his chocolate and strawberry ice cream.

"Would you be up to trying some chocolate and strawberry?" he asked hopefully.

"Nope!" Weiss stated in a chirpy voice. Nothing was coming in between her and her precious childhood memory.

"Oh come on," whined Jaune. "Don't be a chicken."

"I am not being a chicken!" she snapped. "I just don't care for that peculiar mixture. Also, you've been eating it. I don't need your germs."

Jaune held out the ice cream and used his spoon to point to a large portion of his scoop. "This part was untouched. I'm pretty much done as is. Try it, it won't bite."

Weiss crossed her arms. Her eyes flickered from Jaune to the ice cream and back to Jaune. Like a kid who didn't want their vegetables, she stuck her head up and away with a 'hmm'.

"Well aren't you mature?" he teased.

"Says the boy who's whining about me not trying a type of dessert."

"Strange," he said ominously. "I keep hearing a weird sound in the distance. It sounds like clucking."

"I'm on a team with Ruby," she sighed, losing more control. "We were just over this. No form of childish teasing is going to work. What makes you think I'm going to try it?"

Jaune's smirk grew wider. His eyes were playful. He leaned in closer.

"Cause you're acting like a chicken," he whispered.

Weiss snatched the bowl from his hands, forcing him to hold onto her own. Her spoon quickly grabbed a scoop of ice cream, which was promptly placed in her mouth instantly after.

"There!" she spoke with a mouthful of ice cream. "You hap-"

Her eyes widened.

"-py?" she finished.

She certainly was. The flavor was so much better than she expected. Not better than the vanilla, but this flavor was up there. Who knew that chocolate and strawberries worked so perfectly together?

"See, it wasn't that bad. What did I tell ya?"

To be fair, he hadn't told her how delicious it would taste. In fact, he never once mentioned at all how it tasted.

"You're eyeballing it pretty hard you know," he once again stated playfully.

 _Darn, he noticed_ , thought Weiss. _Don't back down again. Assert your dominance! Don't give into the sweetness of this treat!_

"You said you were pretty much done, right?" she asked innocently.

With a smile, Jaune nodded, allowing her to eat whatever else she could salvage from the untainted scoop.

* * *

After they threw out the remnants of their dessert, Jaune and Weiss called it a night and ventured back to their dorms. There wasn't much action going on in the halls after sunset. Most students were either lounging in their rooms or making rounds in the sparing chambers. It let the two continue their walk back in a comfortable silence.

Except Jaune's mind was stuck in a fierce storm.

 _I mean, she seemed to enjoy the latter half_ , thought Jaune. _She knows how I feel about her and why, we had a nice dessert and a funny, yet, terrifying story to tell the others…_

 _But wait!_ Another voice interjected. _What if the teasing was too much? You were just being playful, but did it go too far? Better question, what were you thinking about trying to get her to eat some ice cream that_ _ **you were just eating**_ _? Oh God, you went too far! Word will get out around the school somehow. Someone had to have seen it! Everyone's going to think you're a creep! WHAT HAVE YOU DON-_

"I had a fun tonight, Jaune."

The maelstrom of thoughts had stopped, but it was still cloudy.

 _Wait-_

"What?" he voiced.

Weiss looked to the door of her room shyly. "I was skeptical, yet hopeful at first. Early on, I believed my pessimism to have been well enforced… but then you turned it on its head completely. I-I really had a nice time tonight."

When she moved her head to see Jaune, she was met with a beet-red face and eyes that stared into nothingness.

"Y-you mean," he stammered, "you actually enjoyed tonight?"

The question seemed to take her aback.

"Did… did you not?"

The realization of how Jaune worded his question snapped him out of his stupor. He shook his head wildly back and forth.

"No, no, no!" he all but shouted. "Tonight was amazing, like one of the best nights of my life! It's just, I didn't expect you to enjoy it, is all."

Jaune mirrored Weiss' previous action and scratched the back of his head.

"I screwed up a lot tonight," he sighed.

"You did," she agreed, "but, you owned up to it and fixed your mistakes. Honestly, you need to stop being so hard on yourself."

The clouds cleared, and the sun came out.

Jaune let out a slight chuckle. With no more need to stare awkwardly at the door, his eyes found Weiss'.

"Thanks, Weiss," he said bashfully.

Jaune didn't know what else to say. Should he ask her if she's up for another date or would that be too forward? Would it be better to say their goodnights and talk about what this means later?

Whatever the case, Weiss looked to him expectedly. Maybe that was enough of a hint that he needed.

Jaune took a deep breath.

"Would you like to go out again, sometime?"

She smiled.

"Yes Jaune, I'd be interested in another outing with you."

It took all of his willpower to not jump for joy on the spot.

Then a stray thought crossed his mind.

"You're accepting this because you want to and not because it was the deal, right?" he asked.

"Do I need to go through the whole 'only doing something if I really wanted to' speech again?" she questioned.

Okay, now he could celebrate.

"Yes! Or- uh, I mean, um, you know, good, that's great," Jaune stuttered out. He had to keep cool.

The sight of Weiss giggling told him that his efforts were in vain.

"Well, I'm pleased to know that that's 'great'," she teased.

Jaune amusingly rolled his eyes and looked away. It was only fair that she could get a few licks in on him.

It was new, really. Before tonight, they barely got along. Now they were acting like nothing bad even remotely happened between them during the first semester. The thought brought a warm smile to his lips. Anything really was possible.

Then her arms very quickly wrapped around his torso before returning to the front of her door. Jaune didn't even get any time to return the hug before she retreated.

Both stood frozen in their spots.

Both were about as red as red could get.

"Well I'll see you tomorrow!" Weiss shouted, immediately disappearing behind the door to her room.

"Y-y-you too," he whispered.

* * *

Once behind the closed door, Weiss put her face in her hands and slid down its frame.

"I can't believe I did that," she mumbled.

"That bad, huh?"

Removing her hands, she was met with the face of concerned Yang. At least, it **was** a concerning look until Yang noticed her blushing face.

"Well, well, well," Yang drawled. "I think you meant something different then how it sounded."

She had the biggest grin that Weiss had ever seen.

"Give it a rest, Yang," Blake called from her bunk. She had yet to look up from her book. Regardless if she even knew what was going on, Weiss silently thanked her for coming to her resc-

"If she kissed Jaune, then it's between the both of them. Not you."

-ue.

Weiss choked.

"You kissed Jaune!" Ruby shrieked in excitement from her top bunk.

"We did no such thing!" Weiss screamed.

"The way you exploded says otherwise," said Yang.

Weiss glared daggers.

"Okay, okay," Yang backed off. She gave Weiss more breathing space, but never left her line of sight. "What happened?" she asked more seriously.

Weiss sighed before letting go of her rage. If there was one thing she could count on from her blonde teammate, it was that Yang knew when she crossed the line.

"I- I hugged him!" she said quickly before retreating into her hands.

She was met with silence.

"Are… are you being serious?" Yang was dumbfounded. Even Blake had put down her book to stare across at Weiss in disbelief.

Weiss nodded, embarrassment creeping over her entire being.

Yang let out a sigh and walked back to her bed. "Why would I think it was anything juicy?" she muttered. Blake nodded towards Yang's sentiment and went back to her book. Ruby on the other hand, looked more betrayed than weiss had ever seen.

"No fair!" she exclaimed. "Jaune gets a hug, but not me! We're partners and best friends, Weiss! How could you do this to me!"

" _That's_ what you took out of this?!" Weiss yelled back.

Yang and Blake shared a sigh. Tonight was going to be a long night.

* * *

Jaune's back slumped against the door to his room. He could only stare in astonishment at the space Weiss once stood before entering RWBY's dorm.

 _Weiss hugged me_ , he thought.

He still couldn't believe it.

Even though it was quick, Jaune could still feel the ghost of the warmth she left.

He looked upwards to the hallway light, letting out a short breath.

Tonight had been a success. Even _he_ had to admit that he didn't think it would have been.

His gaze shifted back to RWBY's door.

She had hugged him. She had done something very un-Weiss Schnee-like. Maybe that's why he was smiling. He was hugged not by Weiss Schnee, but by _Weiss_.

The closed off, beautiful girl from across the hall, who tries to build up a wall to not let anyone in.

He had managed to chip a hole in the wall. On their first date nonetheless.

Then again, he probably shouldn't had been so surprised.

After all, it was the only thing she was bad at.


	2. First Party

**AN: Update time! Glad to see the positive reception for this fic so far. Updates on this particular fic** _ **might**_ **be once every two weeks. Same goes for my other fic 'One Cold Morning' I usually write a chapter for one story, then after its posted, work on a chapter for the other one. Hopefully that schedule works. Anyway, like I said, I'm glad you guys are liking this so far. I've read your comments and pleased to see people giving prompts and ideas for later chapters. I will definitely be using some of them. I'll be sure to give proper credit should I use a particular idea that I haven't already planned on doing. Either way, I hope you enjoy the newest chapter!**

 **Beta: PotatoBlaster**

* * *

The sounds of the boombox Yang had brought in annoyingly echoed between the two dorms. Weiss sat on a bed in team JNPR's room. It was the furthest possible spot she could go to take a break from the music without Ruby calling her a 'party pooper'. Surely, they would be receiving a noise complaint by their floor's RA.

… Did they even have one of those?

A blue plastic cup appeared in front of her. Weiss looked up at the source.

"You looked punch-less," Jaune said with a grin. "Thought I'd change that."

Weiss gave him a small smile, accepting the cup into her hands. Jaune sat next to her and began drinking from his own.

"The party's back there, you know," he said.

"If I seem to recall, your room _is_ part of the party," she pointed out, "so it's not my fault if I take advantage of it."

Jaune peered over his shoulder at the other room and winced. "I guess the musicis kinda getting annoying." He turned his head back to Weiss. "Mind if I stay here too?"

Giving him a soft smile, she held out her cup for a toast. Jaune mimicked her actions.

 _Click._

Weiss was happy to admit that Jaune wasn't as bad as she had originally thought. After their initial outing, Weiss had asked that they take it slow and not fully start dating, just so that they could become closer friends first. Much to her pleasure, Jaune had understood and agreed. Due to their schedules, however, spending time together was tough.

Aside from their date earlier in the week, they'd only been together by themselves one other time.

Jaune had come by her dorm and asked if she wanted to join him in the common room for a movie before they went to bed.

Weiss had accepted the offer with little hesitation.

Barely any of the movie was watched as the two decided instead to just… talk.

Weiss had learned of his seven sisters. Jaune had learned of her butler with seven personalities. Weiss had let slip her feelings of being an heiress. Jaune tried consoling her with his doubts of upholding his family's legacy. For those thirty minutes, she felt like she had on their first outing.

What surprised her though, wasn't how easy it was becoming to talk to Jaune. No, it was when he flashed her a simple grin.

A simple, stupid, Arc-patented grin that had made her stomach feel weird.

"-eiss?"

"Hmm?" she snapped out of her reverie. "What is it?"

Jaune chuckled. "I asked if you were having a good time," he said. "You know, besides the music?"

"Oh, sorry." She cleared her mind of lingering thoughts. "I'm enjoying myself. Are you?"

He nodded. "It's nice to just, hang back, you know?"

Weiss let out a low chuckle. "I thought the same thing on our outing."

"Speaking of which, are you free anytime soon?" he asked. "A new café opened up in Vale, so I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch sometime? Err-" he paused. "With me, I mean."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Of course I knew you meant with you, lunkhead." She stared through the window to the evening sky. "I should be free tomorrow, if that works for you."

No reply came whatsoever.

She turned back to Jaune to be met with a bewildered expression. "Uh, Jaune?"

He flinched. "Oh, yeah, sorry." He scratched the back of his head. "Saturday works for me too. I'll come by at noon, then?"

Weiss frowned. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Jaune blushed and looked off to the side. "Yeah," he said. "It's just… weird… you accepting a date from me, and all."

"I could always decline," she offered.

"What!?" Jaune's head whipped around. "No, no, no, I mean-" he noticed Weiss was smirking- "oh, okay, _haha_ , you got me."

Weiss giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.

Wow, her and giggling? Was she even the same person that started attending Beacon all those few months ago?

"Well, well, well! There are the lovebirds!"

Weiss groaned.

"What do you want, Yang?"

"Oooh, someone's feisty." Yang stepped to the side, revealing the shorter, orange-haired girl behind her.

Weiss was positive she was reliving a nightmare.

"Aww!" Nora gushed. "They snuck away from the party so they could be _together_!"

"We did no such thing!" exclaimed Weiss.

"The music was too loud," said Jaune. "We wanted to get away from it for a bit."

"Well, it's time to come back," said Yang, turning to leave the room. "The two dorks of Team SSSN are here. You need to greet your guests, Ice Queen."

* * *

Did he hear that right? The 'N' of Team SSSN was here?

Ruby had said it would only be her team and his! Did Weiss know? She had helped in planning the party, after all.

 _Just play it cool_ , he thought.

"So," he said, looking at Weiss. "I didn't know they were coming?"

Weiss' eyes were wide too. "I didn't know either."

On the plus side, it meant that she didn't invite him over. On the downside, he was still here: Weiss' first crush at Beacon.

Weiss kept saying that she and Jaune weren't dating. They were just testing the waters and seeing where it went. He was completely fine with that, but with Neptune here…

Maybe this will be as far as it goes.

Swallowing the lump forming in his throat, Jaune decided to bite the bullet. "So… I-I guess we should be getting back."

"Yes… I think we should," she said.

Jaune internally sighed.

A few reluctant steps later and the group found themselves standing in the doorway of RWBY's dorm.

"There they are!" Ruby ran up and threw her arms over Jaune and Weiss' shoulders, drawing them to her cheeks. "Where have you two been!? You're missing the party!"

"Ruby, how much punch have you had to drink?" asked Weiss.

Ruby paused before holding up three fingers, then slowly dropping one. "This many."

Yang groaned and brought a hand to her face. "Sugar rush," was all she said.

"Should we do something about it or…?" trailed off Jaune.

"Nah," Yang said, waving off her hand. "I'd give it a few. She should be crashing anytime now."

" _Crashing_?" asked Ruby, letting go of Jaune and Weiss. "I'm just getting started!"

Yang took out her scroll and started typing.

"Hey, Snow Angel."

 _Oh no…_ Jaune internally sighed.

Neptune stood a few feet away with his fingers plugged into his ears. Even in this awkward position, he still managed to pull off the 'patented' Vasilias grin.

"Yang?" he asked, turning to the girl in question. "Shouldn't you turn the music down? We might get a noise complaint."

"Thank you!" blurted Weiss.

Neptune turned back to her and flashed another one of his grins, causing her to look away.

He had said a total of three words to her, _three_ , and Weiss was already _this_ flustered!? How could Jaune keep up with that? He needed help.

"Ugh, fine!" Yang walked over to the boombox and lowered the volume. "Happy?"

"Very much so, yes," said Neptune. He put his arm on the door's archway, then leaned down to Weiss. "So, how was your day?" he asked.

Weiss' eyes widened a bit. "I… I- uh-"

He needed help _now_.

"Alright," Jaune said, holding up finger guns, "I'll be right back." He fled the scene as fast as possible, further into the room.

* * *

"Wait, Ja-!"

"There you are," Sun slugged an arm around Neptune. "I can't leave you alone for a minute without you going off and flirting."

"I wasn't flirting!" exclaimed Neptune. "We were just talking. Right, Weiss?"

"Uhm…" Weiss looked off towards the party.

 _Why did he leave me alone with_ _ **him**_ _!?_ Her mind screamed.

This was bad.

This was very, _very_ , bad.

This was _Neptune_. The cute, charming boy who had caused her to swoon over him when they'd first met. The flirt, who even though would do it too much, still had a decent heart. This was the guy who threw away his insecurities to make it up to Weiss for declining her dance invitation.

She couldn't face him alone.

Weiss had hoped that with Jaune, facing Neptune would have been easier. Alas, that option went out the window. Luckily, there was always one person she could count on for these kinds of things.

And that person was currently watching Ruby bounce around their dorm.

"I'M QUEEN OF THE WOR-!"

 _BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. BEEP, BEEP, BEEP._

Ruby slammed face-first into the ground. Surprisingly, she still held firmly onto her punch without spilling it.

"Three minutes exact," said Yang, reading off her scroll.

"Ow…" moaned Ruby.

Yang shook her head and clicked her tongue. "Sorry Rubes," she said, "but you have to learn somehow." And with that, she scooped her sister into her arms.

"You know what," Weiss turned back to Neptune. "I think Ruby might need help. I'll be right back."

With that, she hurriedly walked to Yang.

* * *

"Pyrrha!"

"Hm? His partner turned away from the conversation she was having with Blake and Nora. "Yes, Jaune?" she asked, cheerily as usual.

"Please, I need your help!"

Pyrrha looked worried. "Is everything okay?"

"No time!" He grabbed her arm and began pulling her away.

* * *

"Man Rubes, you're getting heavy," Yang groaned.

"Yang!" Weiss shrieked.

Yang teetered, obviously shocked by the outburst. "Jeez Weiss," she said. "Kinda carrying precious cargo here."

"Sorry." She looked over her shoulder and caught Neptune sneaking a glance. "I need your help."

"What do you need my help wi-?" Yang followed Weiss' gaze. "Oh, I see," she said with a sly grin. "Somebody's popular with the boys now, isn't she?"

That's it. Weiss was going to kill her.

"Yang!" she said exasperatedly. "Please, he won't stop."

"Won't stop what?" Yang asked.

"Flirting with me!"

Yang stared at her as if she had grown a second head.

"So?" she asked.

Why did she think Yang was a good idea? Of course, she should have seen this coming. Is this what it's like to be completely at wits end? That any thought that would seem crazy to literally anyone else, would seem logical given the vast amount of stress weighing down upon her?

"Look, Weiss," Yang was still grinning, "flirting isn't a big deal."

"Of course it's a big-!"

"Shush." Yang silenced her with a finger on her lips. "It isn't a big deal," she continued, removing her finger. "Flirting is just a game. Don't let it get to you. Besides, you keep going on about how you and Jaune aren't dating. If Neptune is getting to you this badly then, well, maybe that's your answer."

Weiss' eyes widened.

"Don't get me wrong," Yang continued, "Jaune is sweet and funny, but Neptune?"

"No Yang, that's not what I-!"

"Again, shush," Yang interrupted. "I have to go deal with Ruby first. If you still need help, I'll try in whatever way I can, okay?" With that, Yang maneuvered past Weiss.

Weiss was alone yet again. That would only mean-

"Is Ruby okay?"

Weiss crushed her plastic cup.

Oh, she was _definitely_ going to kill Yang.

* * *

"Jaune," Pyrrha said, sinking into the common room couch, "what's going on?"

"I… I'm sorry," he started. "I shouldn't be coming to you for this, but you're one of the most level-headed out of all of us."

As the words seemed to dawn on her, Pyrrha's expression softened. "It's about Weiss, isn't it?"

Jaune suddenly found the legs of the couch very interesting. He nodded slowly.

Pyrrha sighed but moved closer. Jaune knew what was coming next, and he knew it would only prove to make him feel worse.

"Jaune…"

Her hand landed on his shoulder.

He looked up.

Pyrrha was smiling, but her eyes still had a lingering sadness. "I'm not upset," she said.

"I still shouldn't have come to you about this…" he said.

Pyrrha shook her head. "No, you should have."

 _What?_

Pyrrha giggled, most likely at the confused face he was currently making.

"Jaune," she said gently, "we're friends first and foremost, partners second, and anything else after those." She shook her head. "I don't want you to think that you can't come and talk to me about things."

"But…" The words died in his mouth.

There was nothing more for him to say. Pyrrha had done nothing but prove that she was one of the best people he's ever known. It made him sick knowing how he must be making her feel.

"We don't choose who we fall for," she said. "We just stay along for the journey… and I can't fault you for that."

She backed up, allowing Jaune to take in everything. Maybe the sadness really had left her eyes, or she was just that good at hiding it. Regardless, she looked determined.

"Now," she said quietly. "How can I help?"

If she had the strength to help, then Jaune needed to match it.

"Neptune is flirting with Weiss," he finally said. "It looks like… she _might_ be… into it."

"Oh, Jaune…"

Sadness returned to her eyes, only this time, it was directed at him.

Jaune shook his head. "What should I do?"

Pyrrha looked thoughtful. "What did you do on your date?" she asked. "How did you act, I mean?"

"It didn't start off good," he said. "But, as the night went on, I started to act like myself. She seemed to enjoy it when I did."

 _She really seemed to…_

"Do you know for a fact that she likes Neptune's flirting?" she asked.

 _Well-_

"Duh," he finished. "It's Neptune. The guy practically won Weiss over with his first sentence."

Pyrrha brought her hand to her face.

"Jaune," she sighed. "When will you learn?"

 _Apparently never_ , he internally deadpanned.

"What do you mean?"

Moving her hand away, Pyrrha's expression was amused. "You were yourself and she liked that," she explained. "Neptune is flirting with her now, but you don't know what she thinks about it."

Jaune nodded along.

"If she liked being around you, for you, can you be positively sure that she is enjoying being around Neptune?" she asked. "He puts up an act too. Odds are, Weiss can see that now."

"But she was blushing and acting shy," he countered.

Pyrrha sighed. Before Jaune could do anything, she moved forward and grabbed his arm.

* * *

She was going through with this.

Jealousy aside, Pyrrha wanted Jaune to have happiness. If she couldn't give that to him, then so be it. Truthfully, it hurt, but this was bigger than her.

She had known if the situation was reversed, Jaune would be doing the same.

"Pyrrha, slow down!" the boy in question pleaded.

She ignored him. _Sorry, Jaune_ , she thought. _This is for your own good._

The two continued down the grey halls to the dormitories. Well, it was more Pyrrha dragging Jaune than a mutual walk.

Finally, they arrived in front of the door.

"Pyrrha-" Pyrrha felt him stiffen. "Let's not-"

She wheeled around, grabbed his shoulders and stared deeply into his eyes. "Jaune," she said, "you'll do fine. Okay?"

She was sure of it.

Jaune looked uneasy. "How do you know?" he muttered.

Pyrrha smiled.

Had this been another time, far before Weiss Schnee had accepted Jaune Arc's offer for a date, then the words that came out of Pyrrha Nikos' mouth would be very different. But, this wasn't another time. Nor was this before all of that. This was here. This was now.

And so Pyrrha Nikos said what was necessary instead.

"Because we're partners, Jaune."

Then, silence. All that could be heard was the dull booming of music behind the door.

It seemed that Pyrrha's words had some effect. The shaking in Jaune's arm had lessened. His posture went from ramrod straight to more sagged and relaxed. Perhaps the most noticeable though, was the determination in his eyes.

"Right," he said.

Pyrrha nodded and opened the door.

The sound of Yang's music was the first thing to greet them on their way in. The second, Yang on her knees, cleaning up spilt punch. The third, Neptune handing a cup to Weiss."Try not to drop it this time," he teased, his hand lingering on top of hers. His eyes stayed glued onto Weiss', obviously lost in them.

"I- I- " was all Weiss could say. Her mouth opened and closed, trying to form words as a deep blush spread through her cheeks.

A sigh next to Pyrrha's side took her attention off of the teens.

"Jaune-"

"It's okay," he said. The smile on his lips betrayed the sorrow in his eyes. "If she's happy, I can be too."

Jaune exited the room shortly after, but not before Pyrrha heard the mutter of something he had meant for his ears only.

"It's not like we were dating, anyway."

 _Click_

The door to their room closed quietly.

 _Jaune…_

Pyrrha turned back to the two by the punch bowl. Her eyes stayed on Weiss'. It made sense that Jaune would miss it. After all, he didn't know what it was like to be in the spotlight for the entirety of his life.

 _You're so silly_.

* * *

Jaune's back was slouched against the side of his bed. He stared emptily into the cup of punch he had left behind -the same punch he had toasted to Weiss before she agreed to another outing…

Jaune shook his head. _Stop thinking like that_ , he thought. _Be happy for her. Maybe this is a sign it wouldn't have worked. And look on the bright side! If that was the case, you guys might not even have stayed friends. At least with this way, that won't happen…_

 _Right?_

Another deep sigh escaped his lips. Maybe he wasn't as much of a 'glass half-full' kinda guy after all.

A bright light flashed on his face. Someone had opened the door.

He sighed. "Pyrrha, really, I'm-"

"Jaune?"

Jaune's head flew up.

"Weiss?"

Even silhouetted, Jaune could make out the slight smile on her face.

Weiss shut the door behind her, allowing the darkness back into the room.

"You know," she said as she walked towards him, "you kind of left me alone back there."

"Oh," said Jaune. "Sorry."

Weiss lightly sat down next to him with a sigh. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Hmm…" Weiss didn't say anything further, instead choosing to sip from her cup of punch. The same cup of punch that Neptune had-

"We're friends now… right?"

The sentence left his lips before he could stop it.

Weiss tilted her head. "Yes?"

He nodded his head.

"Jaune-?"

"It's just," he interrupted. Screw it, "since we're friends, I… I just want you to be happy, you know?"

Jaune turned his head to face Weiss. The look she gave him told Jaune that Weiss wasn't understanding.

"Neptune," he continued. "You were enjoying your time with him."

"… _What_?"

… Why did she seem so offended?

"I'm not upset or anything, honest," said Jaune, putting his hands up in defense. "Just, you know, if you like him, you should go for it. I understand."

Weiss blinked owlishly at him.

She then brought her hand to her face.

 _Why is everyone doing that?_

"No," she sighed. "No, no, this is my fault this time." Her hand slid down her face, landing in her lap.

"Weiss, what are you-?"

"I don't like Neptune, Jaune."

All the wind left Jaune's chest.

"Wait… what?" he asked.

"I mean, I used to, but I don't anymore."

"But- but-," he stammered. "You were blushing! Like, really, _really_ badly."

Weiss closed her eyes and let out another sigh. "Which is why I'm blaming myself."

She didn't move for a few seconds. Then, her head slowly lifted and her eyes opened. Said eyes never reached Jaune's, though.

"I wasn't blushing at his flirts," she explained. "I was flustered at the fact that he was _flirting_."

"Come again?" Jaune asked.

Weiss finally met his eyes. "I never told him about… well…" She motioned her hands between them.

"Okay," he nodded. "I'm following so far."

"I just," she paused. "I just don't know how to turn somebody down, okay?"

…

"What?" she asked.

"Really," Jaune deadpanned. "You don't know how to turn _somebody_ down?"

"I don't know how to _politely_ turn somebody down," she reluctantly corrected.

"You don't say?"

She thumped him on the shoulder.

Jaune chuckled.

Weiss smiled.

Things were finally beginning to return to normal. Then again, what was considered normal between them?

A look at her smile reassured him that it didn't matter.

"Ahem."

He'd been staring at her smile that whole time, hadn't he?

"… sorry"

Weiss shook her head in amusement. "I swear, what are we going to do with you?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "I've been asking myself that for a while now, actually."

She breathed out a laugh. A ghost of a smile still was still visible in the low light.

"So, I'm sorry," she said. "Had I handled the situation better, this wouldn't have happened."

He knew that even _she_ thought that an apology wasn't necessary. It wasn't like he wouldn't forgive her. Even so, it wasn't the apology that was on his mind.

"You said before that you didn't like him anymore, right?" he asked.

"Mhm."

"What changed?"

Weiss exhaled. "I really thought that it was obvious."

 _She couldn't possibly mean-_

"Yes you, dummy," she confirmed.

His expressions must've been getting easier to read. "Huh…" was all he could muster.

Her eyes flashed. "' _Huh_ '?" she asked.

 _Oh boy, here it comes_.

"I tell you that I _like_ you and all you reply with is _huh_?"

"Look, I- wait a minute." His eyes widened. "You… you never said you liked me! _You_ like _me_!?"

"What did you think I meant!?"

"I don't know!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. "I thought you just meant that since you were giving me a shot, you moved on!"

"Nope, never mind," she shook her head. "I take it back!"

"That isn't how emotions work!"

"It is for a Schnee! If I can get over Neptune's grins, I can do the same with yours!"

"… My grins worked!?"

It was Weiss' turn for her eyes to widen.

"That isn't what I- you- you know I don't- I never said-"

A loud groan cut across her. "Guys," Ruby moaned from the bed. "Please stop… Headache."

Turning to look at her, Ruby was making a look that was very un-Ruby-like.

"Sorry, Ruby!" they both whispered.

She let out a low groan and flopped back onto the mattress. "It's okay…"

Yep. Ruby was definitely not the person to be messed with when tired.

Wait, when did she even get in his room?

No, that wasn't the thing to be focusing on right now. Weiss liked him. Jaunee had done something to turn her emotions towards him into something positive. At the same time, there was still something she needed to take care of…

He saw her delicate smile as she looked off at Ruby's sleeping form.

… and he would be right there to help her.

"Come on," he whispered. His gloved hand hesitantly met her bare one. "We should get back."

Weiss looked down at their held hands.

"Y-yeah," she stuttered. Her blush was visible even through the darkness.

* * *

The now closed door of her dorm room towered over her and Jaune, making the world around them seem small in comparison. Weiss was getting dizzy just staring at it…

 _Don't falter now_ , she thought. She looked up to Jaune, who was smiling down at her. He gave her hand a small, reassuring squeeze.

She smiled back.

"So, what's the plan?" he asked.

Luckily, Weiss had thought up the perfect three step plan after they left JNPR's room that insured not only success on her part, but also that Neptune wouldn't think horribly of them.

Step One: Locate Neptune. Once found, extract him from the room.

Step Two: Once alone, have a serious sit down. Jaune and her will both explain what happened and what they feel. She will let Neptune know it wasn't him, it was her. Perhaps, a small bit of pathos will be useful as well.

Step Three: Both she and Jaune apologize, and will understand if Neptune no longer wishes to be associated with them, thus showcasing their moral standings. He may then be accepting and willing to work past this situation.

It was perfect!

"Okay," she said, "so once we get in-"

"Hello again!"

Jaune and Weiss both jumped.

"Pyrrha?" said Jaune.

Sure enough, Pyrrha stood next to them, smiling brightly as usual. She wasn't alone, though.

"N-Neptune?" Weiss gasped.

The way he appeared did not reflect what she knew of Neptune. His hand firmly stayed behind his slightly bowed head. All confidence in the way he held himself up was lost in his slouched form. His eyes flicked to Weiss, to Jaune, and back to the wall across from him.

"Hey," he dragged out.

Pyrrha leaned in close to Weiss' ear. "I saw you needed help," she whispered. "Once you left, I led him away from the party and filled him in on what's going on."

Weiss looked incredulously at her.

"Don't worry," she whispered quickly. "Trust me, please."

With a wave, the door slammed shut as she vanished behind it.

No one moved. Their eyes kept darting back and forth, expecting someone else to say something in their place.

"So…" Jaune trailed off.

"Yeah…" said Neptune.

So much for the three step plan.

"Neptune…" Weiss began. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lead you on. I just… I didn't know how to tell you." She bowed her head. "I understand if you won't forgive me. Just know that I really am sorry."

"What are you talking about?" Neptune asked. When Weiss looked up, he was frowning. "I should be the one apologizing."

The couple were taken aback. "What!?"

"Yeah!" he exclaimed. "I mean I was flirting with you when you were taking things slow with Jaune. That wasn't cool."

"You didn't know," Jaune pointed out.

Neptune put his hand up and shook his head. "Doesn't matter dude, it goes against the bro-code."

"I was the one who talked to you about Weiss, though," Jaune argued. "Wouldn't _I_ be breaking the code by accepting a date with her?"

Neptune looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Nah," he finally said, turning back to the duo. "She asked me to hang with her first and I turned her down. She asked you next and you said yes. Sounds fair to me."

Weiss couldn't believe it. Whatever Pyrrha said had worked. It appeared that Neptune didn't look down at them at all. At the same time, the blame wasn't on him. Whether knowingly or not, Pyrrha had set up the best situation possible. Jaune was right, she just might be one of the best people in their group.

"How about this?" Weiss offered, causing Jaune and Neptune to look at her. "We all apologize for our own parts in all of this and then we move on. Does that sound like a plan?"

The two boys looked to one another before smiling and nodding.

"I'm sorry for accepting a date when I knew you liked her." Jaune.

"I'm sorry for flirting with Weiss when you two were trying to start something." Neptune.

"And I'm sorry for leading you on and not telling you about Jaune and I." Weiss.

With a three-way handshake, the deed was done. The result? Three pleased individuals.

"Well, now that that's out of the way," said Neptune, "I'm gonna head back to the party."

As his hand gripped the knob, he looked back at Jaune and Weiss. Instead of a grin, he gave a genuine smile.

"I hope everything works out," he said.

The door shut. Weiss sighed with relief.. Finally, they could relax.

"Well, that was simple," she said, mostly to herself.

Jaune exhaled. "I'm just happy it's done." He moved to wipe his forehead.

That was when Weiss felt her arm rise with his.

It became apparent then that throughout their entire talk with Neptune, they hadn't stopped holding hands.

One look to Jaune confirmed that he was just as unaware as her.

The amusing thing was, Weiss didn't care. In fact, it just made that weird feeling return to her stomach. It was warm… and kind of fuzzy now that she thought of it. The sensation doubled when she squeezed back.

" _Huh_."


End file.
